92% feel job security is important

The majority (92%) of respondents believe that job security is important, although only 65% of employees feel that their current job offers them this, according to research by NatCen.

The British social attitudes survey, which interviewed 4,328 British adults, also found that 71% of respondents felt they had a ‘good’ job, defined as a job that has at least four positive attributes such as being interesting or having opportunities for advancement.

The research also found:

81% of respondents believe that having good opportunities for advancement is important, although only 34% said they have this in their current job.

62% of respondents admit that they would still enjoy having a job even if they didn’t need the money.

57% of respondents in professional and managerial roles confess they have no control over how their day is structured.

Kirby Swales, director of the Survey Research Centre at NatCen, said: “It is reassuring that after an extended period of recession, more people have what we would consider good jobs, regardless of their gender, age or social class. However, the class divide is alive and well in Britain, as evidenced in the polarisation of flexibility at work.

“Although many of us value our jobs beyond their monetary value there is a discrepancy between what workers say they value in a job, such as job security and opportunities for advancement, and what their current job actually affords them. This could lead to dissatisfaction in the future which may be a cause for concern for employers.”